Iverson, Nuggets edge Clippers

Carmelo Anthony had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Nuggets, who have won five straight and are tied with the Lakers for the sixth spot in the Western Conference. Nene posted 11 points and grabbed seven boards, while Steve Blake poured in 10 and dished out nine assists.

Corey Maggette netted 24 points and Elton Brand added 22 with 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who are currently the eighth seed in the West. Cuttino Mobley chipped in 13, Chris Kaman 12 and Jason Hart 10 in defeat.

Trailing by six entering the fourth quarter, the Nuggets tied the game at 91 on Iverson’s jumper with just under one minute to play.

Then, after Brand hit a layup for LA, Linas Kleiza buried a three-pointer from the corner to make it 94-93 with 15.8 seconds left.

On the Clippers’ ensuing possession, Iverson stripped the ball from Maggette, was fouled, and hit two free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining.

Hart then took a long inbounds pass, but his desperation three was short as time expired.

Los Angeles ended the first quarter with a 6-0 spurt for a 31-26 edge, and led by as many as 15 in the second before Blake drained a three-pointer to cut Denver’s deficit to 52-49 at the half.

With the game knotted at 64 in the third, the Clippers went on a 10-0 run — led by Brand’s eight points, while Iverson drained two from the line as the Nuggets closed within 74-66.

Game Notes

Denver shot 49 percent from the field, while LA finished 43 percent shooting.